61 Bible Verses about Unselfishness

"I can of my own self do nothing. As I listen, I judge, and my own judgment is just, because I am not seeking my own will, but the will of Him who sent me.

For even Christ pleased not himself; but as it is written, The reproaches of those who were reproaching thee fell upon me.

But Jesus called his disciples to him and said: "My heart yearns over the crowd, for they have been with me now three days, and they have nothing to eat. I am not willing to send them away hungry, for fear they faint on the road."

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given everything into his hands, and that he was come from God, and was now going to God, rose from supper, laid aside his upper garments, and took a towel and girded himself. Then he poured water into the basin, and began to wash the feet of his disciples and to wipe them with the towel with which he had girded himself.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, how though he was rich, for your sakes he became poor, that you through his poverty might become rich.

"Not so shall it be among you. But whoever among you wishes to become great, shall be your minister, "and whoever wishes to be first among you, shall be your slave; "just as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Not so shall it be among you. On the contrary whoever would become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever among you would be first, shall be slave of all, and justly, for even the Son of man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life, a ransom for many."

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, though from the beginning he had the nature of God, did not reckon equality with God something to be forcibly retained, but emptied himself of his glory by taking the form of a slave, when he was born in the likeness of men.read more.
More than this, after he had shone himself in human form, he humbled himself in his obedience even to death; yes, and to death on a cross.

"The Father loves me for this, because I am laying down my life that I may take it again. "No man is taking it away from me. I am laying it down on my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it again. I received this commandment from my Father."

For while we were still without strength, Christ died in due time for the ungodly. Why, a man will hardly give his life for another, even for a righteous man, though perchance for a good man one might even take it upon himself to die. But God gives proof of his love to us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

For the very first thing I taught you was that I had myself been taught, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scripture,

For the love of Christ overmasters me; because I thus judge that if One has died for all, then all have died;

He died for us, in order that whether we are keeping vigil in life or sleeping in death we may ever be living together with him.

He committed no sin, Neither was guile found in his mouth. He was reviled, and reviled not back. When he suffered he never threatened but always committed his cause to the One who judges rightly. He bore our sins in his own body upon the tree, in order that we might become dead to sins, and be alive unto righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

because Christ also once for all suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but make alive in spirit.

who gave himself as a ransom in behalf of all, to be attested in due time.

Then Jesus said to his disciples. "If any man wishes to come after me, let him renounce self, take up his cross, and follow me.

Then summoning the crowd to him, with his disciples. he said: "If any man wishes to follow me, let him renounce self, take up his cross, and so follow me.

And he said to all. "If any man wills to follow me, Let him renounce self and take up his cross daily and follow me.

and justly, for even the Son of man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life, a ransom for many."

For this we know, that our old self was crucified with Christ, in order that the slave of sin might be destroyed; so that we should no longer be in slavery to sin??7 for he who is dead is set free from sin.

and that he died for all in order that the living may live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again for them.

You have learned to lay aside, with your former manner of living, the old self who was on his way to ruin, as he followed the desires which deceive;

Lie not one to another, but strip off the old self with its doings,

For, with me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But now, if life in the flesh, if this be the fruit of my toil??hat to choose I do not know, but am in a quandary between the two. I am perplexed. I have a strong desire to break camp and to be with Christ, which is far better;read more.
but for your sakes it is more necessary that I should still live on in the body.

But what was once gain to me, that I have counted loss for Christ. In very truth I count all things but loss compared to the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and esteem them but refuse that I may gain Christ, and be found in him; not having my own righteousness of the Law, but that alone which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which comes from God, founded upon faith.read more.
I long to know him in the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, by sharing the likeness of his death; if by any means I might attain to the resurrection from the dead!

Let each have an eye not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,

If then I have washed your feet, I the 'Master' and the 'Teacher', you also ought to wash one another's feet, for I have given you an example, that you also should do what I have done to you.

By this we learn to know love, because he laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

We love because He loved us first. If any one says, "I love God," and yet hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot possibly love God, whom he has not seen. And we have this command from God: HE WHO LOVES GOD IS TO LOVE HIS BROTHER ALSO.

But the harvest-fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, fidelity, gentleness, and self-control; against such there is no law. And those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and appetites.read more.
If we are living by the Spirit, let us also keep step in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

As for brotherly love, be tenderly affectionate one to another, in honor preferring one another.

"All things are lawful," you say? But not all things are expedient; "all things are lawful"; but not all build up. Let not each one be always seeking his own, but rather his neighbor's good.

For not one of us lives unto himself, and not one dies unto himself.

Now we who are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to seek our own pleasure. Let each one of us try to make his neighbor happy for his good, unto his upbuilding.

But see to it lest this right of yours become a stumbling-block to the weak.

bearing with one another and forgiving each other, if any one has a grievance against another. Just as Christ the Lord forgave you, so must you forgive.

Charge them to practise benevolence, to be rich in good works, to be open-handed and generous,

Do nothing out of strife, nothing out of vanity, but let each one in true humility consider the others to be of more account than himself.

Have full sympathy with one another. Set not your minds on high affairs, but associate with lowly folk. Do not be wise in your own conceits.

Ever be bearing one another's burdens, and so be fulfilling the law of Christ. If a man fancies himself to be somebody when he is really nobody he is deceiving himself.

With all humility and gentleness and long-suffering forbear with one another in love;

Submit yourselves one to another out of reverence for Christ.

Finally, you should all be harmonious, sympathetic, loving as brothers, tender-hearted, humble-minded;

You younger men must submit to the presbyters; and all of you must put on the garment of humility and serve one another, for God resists the haughty, But gives grace to the humble.

"But you shall not be so. But he who is greater among you let him become like the younger; and he who is leader like him who serves.

For you, brothers, were called for freedom; only do not make your freedom an excuse for self-indulgence, but in love enslave yourselves to one another.

Whatever the gifts which each has received, use them for one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

Be shepherds to your flock of God; take charge of them willingly, and not through compulsion; not for filthy lucre, but with a willing mind;

Then Jesus took his seat opposite the treasury and watched the people putting their offerings into the chest. Many rich people were putting in large sums. There came also a poor widow who dropped in two little coins, worth a cent. On this he called his disciples to him, and said: "I tell you solemnly that this poor widow has put in more than all who have put their offerings into the treasury;read more.
for they have all put in what they could spare out of their surplus, but she, out of her penury, has put in all that she possessed, her whole living."

Jesus then left that place, and withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon. Behold, there came to him a Canaanite woman of those parts. She wailed loudly, saying. "Pity me, Lord, thou Son of David! My daughter is possessed of an evil spirit." But he answered her not a word. Then the disciples came up and kept beseeching him. "Send her away," they said, "because she wails after us."read more.
In reply he said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But the woman came and knelt to him and said, "Lord, do help me." He answered, "It is not seemly to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." "True, Lord," she said, "but even the little dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table." Then Jesus answered her. "O woman, great is your faith. It shall be for you even as you desire." And from that hour her daughter was healed.

While Jesus was staying in Bethany, in the house of Simon the Leper, a woman came up to him who had an alabaster vase of very costly perfume, and poured it over his head, as he reclined at table. when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, and exclaimed.read more.
"Why is this waste? This perfume could have been sold for a good sum, and the money given to the poor." But when Jesus understood it he said to them. "Why are you annoying the woman? This is a beautiful deed she has done for me; "for the poor you have with you always, but me you will not always have. "In pouring this perfume on my body, she was preparing me for my burial. "In solemn truth I tell you that wherever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, what she has done shall be told about, as her memorial."

And while he was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the Leper, while he was dining, a woman came with an alabaster vase of very costly, pure spikenard perfume, and, breaking the vase, she poured the perfume on his head. Some of those who were present said among themselves indignantly. "Why has the perfume been wasted like this? That perfume could have been sold for more than one hundred and fifty dollars, and given to the poor."read more.
So they began upbraiding her, but Jesus said: "Let her alone. Why are you troubling her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor among you, and can show them kindness whenever you wish, but me you will not always have. She has done what she could. she has before time anointed my body for my burial. I tell you in solemn truth that wherever the gospel is preached throughout the whole world, there what she has done shall be told in remembrance of her."

In reply John said: "A man cannot obtain anything unless it has been granted to him from heaven. You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, 'I am not the Christ, but have been sent before him.' He who has the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. So then this joy of mine has now complete fulfilment.read more.
He must increase, but I must decrease.

Now the multitude of the believers was of one heart and one soul, nor did any one of them say that any of his possessions was his own; but they had all things common. And the apostles continued with great power to give their witness concerning the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. Nor was there any one of them in want, for all who owned houses or lands would sell them and bring the price of the things that were sold, and lay it at the apostles' feet;read more.
and distribution would be made to each according to his need. In this way Joseph, whom the apostles called Barnabas ("Son of Encouragement" is what it means), who was a native Cyprus, sold a farm which he had, and brought the price, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

Salute Priscilla and Aquila, my fellow laborers in the cause of Jesus Christ, who risked their own lives to save mine; who are thanked not only by me,

I beg you this, my brothers??ou know the household of Stephanus, that they were the first-fruits of Achaia, and that they devoted themselves to the service of the saints??16 so I want you also to show deference to such, and to every fellow worker, and laborer.

For I have no other like him with a genuine concern for your welfare, for they are all seeking their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

Receive him then in the Lord with all joy, and hold in honor men like him; for it was through the work of the Lord that he came near to death; for he hazarded his very life to supply what was lacking in the help you sent me.

Do not be a cause of stumbling either to Jews of to Gentiles, or to the church of God. For so I also try to please all men in every way, not by seeking my own good, but the good of the many, that they may be saved.

Be imitators of me, as I am an imitator of Christ.